


Free as a Bird

by DarchangelSkye



Category: Canadian Idol RPF, Canadian Music RPF, Music RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Animal Metaphors, Birds, Inspired by Music, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Winter, Wordcount: 500-1.000, Written in 2006, rooftop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-17
Updated: 2010-08-17
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarchangelSkye/pseuds/DarchangelSkye





	Free as a Bird

"I gotta admit it, Jacob," Kalan said as he reached into the sack sitting between them, "this is the strangest date I've ever been on."

"What, you've never fed birds in the middle of winter before?" Jacob shook a trail of crumbs, seeing how close he could bring a little soft brown bird that had caught his attention.

The young blond turned in a circle, trying to count how many building tops he saw and gave up. "Not from fourteen stories up," he admitted and tossed his crumbs forward.

"Hah," Jacob kicked away a patch of snow and sat. "It's crazy, apartments and hotels don't do that thirteenth floor or room thirteen, but just skip to fourteen- you jump off the fourteenth floor, you know how many stories you're really falling!"

Kalan winced. "Jake, can we not talk about floor-jumping?"

"OK, OK, sorry." He reached to pat his friend's leg, and then picked up another crumb. "Here, birdy-birdy-birdy..."

Kalan snickered and kicked at snow to sit by Jacob. "Leading an innocent sparrow to his doom, huh?"

"Nonsense, I love birds...with a little barbeque sauce," he added sotto.

"You spaz!" Kalan chuckled, shook his head, and retrieved some crumbs from the snow.

The little bird hopped forward, pecked at crumbs, preened its wings, looked at the two smiling humans, and flew away with a twitter. Jacob and Kalan kept on watching it until it was a speck in the sky.

"Boy, is that bird lucky," the older man mused, and stood to toss more bread at the remaining avis naturlis on the building's ledge.

"Because it can fly?"

"Yeah, that too," Jacob shrugged. "I mean, didn't everyone wish that when they were kids, to be able to fly?"

"I would've thought your wishes involved world domination," Kalan said with a smirk.

Jacob ignored that and swept an arm to the sky. "Those birds are as free as they want. Nobody telling them how to run their lives- they know better than staying on the ground too long before someone traps 'em. They're not dumb." He shivered a little and pulled his jacket closer around himself. "For a long in my life I felt free, then trapped...it wasn't 'til I made the choice to drop from the show that I felt free again. But now..."

Kalan sighed at the change in his friend's mood. He stood again and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I don't think being settled necessarily means being trapped, Jacob. I guess we just have different meanings on how a bird's life is, that's all."

"What does it mean to you, then?" the other man asked quietly.

Kalan let his hand start rubbing Jacob's shoulder through the puffy jacket, and he answered as quietly, "Just two little things- flights, and perches."

Jacob stared at the remaining birds on the ledge until the last one flew away. "So...what do I want? A flight? Or a perch?"

"I guess you're one bird who's still making up his mind." The young blond nestled his cheek against Jacob's. Both were pink from the cold, yet it didn't matter.

"Maybe I'm one bird who could use a little persuasion," Jacob whispered, and turned his head to lightly touch his lips to Kalan's.

Kalan giggled in satisfaction, snuggled his other arm around Jacob, and returned the kiss as a flock of passing birds twittered overhead.


End file.
